The present invention relates to razor blade structures and more particularly to a guard for use in a razor blade body member.
It is known in the prior art to provide a razor blade assembly which may be connected to and used in conjunction with a razor handle to facilitate shaving operations. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,724,070, issued Apr. 3, 1973, in the name of Francis W. Dorion, Jr., there is shown a blade assembly in which blade means are held between the blade assembly surfaces adapted to engage the surface being shaved in front of and behind, respectively, cutting edge portions of the blade means. Such surfaces are generally referred to in the prior art as "guard" and "cap" surfaces.
In various blade assemblies shown in the prior art the guard, cap and blade means have been disclosed in various forms and in order to increase shaving efficiency and in some instances the individual components have been designed to move in response to forces encountered during shaving. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,168,571, issued Sep. 25, 1979, in the name of John F. Francis, there is shown a blade assembly in which the guard, cap and blade means are each movable independently of each other in dynamic fashion. U.S. Pat. No. 4,270,268, issued Jun. 2, 1981, in the name of Chester F. Jacobson, shows a blade assembly in which the guard and blade means are independently movable. Various other patents show a combination of guard, blade, and cap arrangements which are known, for instance U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,270,268, 4,488,357, 4,492,024, 4,492,025, 4,498,235, 4,551,916, 4,573,266, 4,586,255, 4,378,634, 4,587,729, and 4,621,424, all issued in the name of Chester F. Jacobson and assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
Further, in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 659,430, filed Mar. 21, 1991, in the name of Alan Crook, there is disclosed a skin engaging guard surface to be employed in the manner of guard surfaces disclosed in the above-referenced patents, which is designed to promote pleasant tactile sensations in the use of the razor and which tend to mask the sensations caused by contact of the blade edges with the skin and more significantly the facial hairs as they are severed. In the various embodiments of the referenced patent application Ser. No. 659,430, the skin engaging surfaces are provided, in one form or another with projections, arrayed in a substantial number so that forces between projections and the skin are widely distributed among the projections. In some embodiments, the surface configurations are provided by discrete filaments, fins or upstanding walls which are yieldable in use because of their inherent flexibility. In the manufacture of the guard surface, it is therefore essential that a material be employed which is capable of providing the flexibility in the projecting elements to produce the proper yielding under usage.
While the construction of the guard surface containing the flexible elements may be accomplished by the proper choice of material to produce the yieldable members, it is also necessary that the guard be mounted onto the razor blade body structure, whether it be a one-piece razor, disposable razor, or replaceable cartridge. In that the material chosen for the yieldable elements is not generally such that it would be possible to form the guard as an integral part of the razor blade body structure it is preferable that the guard be constructed as a separate unit. Further, as a separate unit, the yieldable material is not adaptable to attachment into the razor blade body structure, in its elongated form, without providing substantial support to produce proper positioning of the guard during usage of the razor blade body structure and for permanent retention of the guard within the razor blade body structure.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a guard member to be employed in a razor blade body structure which is simple to manufacture and supplies ease of permanent installation into the razor blade body structure.
Another object of the invention is to provide a guard member of the type referred to which comprises a plurality of protrusions which are flexible for contacting a surface onto which the blade is supplied and which is rigid over portions thereof for support and retention within the razor blade body structure.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a combination razor blade body structure and guard member disposed thereon wherein the guard member comprises a plurality of upwardly extending protrusions which are flexible for contacting the surface to which the blades are applied and which is easily and firmly affixed within the razor blade body structure.